Juneiker Caceres continues to show he's one of the most promising prospects in Guardians' system

Earlier this month, the Guardians quietly released outfield prospect Wuilfredo Antunez after some struggles earlier this season at Double-A Akron. 

While Antunez put together a solid showing for the Guardians in the Arizona Fall League and entered the season with a shot to work his way periphery of the Guardians’ big league picture, he took a huge step back this year and ended up becoming expendable. 

Normally Antunez’s regression would sting given he was a big part of the team’s outfield future, it hurt the Guardians a little less thanks to the rise of fellow prospect Juneiker Caceres, who just earned a promotion to High-A despite being just 18. 

And if that’s not enough, Caceres got some love in various outlets' yearly mid-season prospect re-rank, as he was ranked as the No. 96 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline along with being ranked No. 67 in The Athletic’s latest re-rank. 

Even if he’s still years away from being able to help the Guardians’ big league club, Caceres’ rising profile is great news for a franchise that’s been looking for outfield talent since the dawn of time. 

Juneiker Caceres could be part of the future in the Guardians’ outfield 

Caceres earned his promotion to High-A on the back of a fantastic season at Single-A Hill City where he slashed .320/.418/.538 in 52 games with 10 home runs and 41 RBI. He also worked 31 walks compared to just 23 strikeouts. 

He looked every bit the part of a guy who had outgrown the league despite being more than two years longer than the league’s average age. 

He’s carried that production over to High-A Lake County, where he’s posted a .310/.394/.448 slashline in seven games. 

He opened his time in Cleveland’s system as a center fielder but has played primarily as a right fielder this year, which could end up being in his long-term position. 

While most organizations would be hesitant to put a non-power hitter in a corner outfield spot, the Guardians have had plenty of success with Steven Kwan as their left fielder, so having Caceres in a corner isn’t the weirdest thing in the world. 

Caceres is a part of a new guard of Guardians outfield prospects that features some MLB-ready players who are learning the outfield on the fly (Cooper Ingle and Ralphy Velazquez) along with some other pure outfielders who could be a bit ahead of Caceres (like Jace LaViolette). 

The outfield prospect who could impact Caceres’ big league journey the most is Jaison Chourio, who is ranked just ahead of Caceres in most prospect rankings and is currently playing at Double-A Akron. 

Chourio has hit just 17 home runs throughout his minor league career, but seems to have a clear home in the Guardians’ big league future (so long as he isn’t traded) thanks to his ability to play center field. 

Moving Caceres to a corner means they won’t get in each other’s way, though a lot can happen in the next two-plus years.

While it may be too early to pencil Caceres into the Guardians’ 2029 Opening Day lineup, he’s been able to answer the call at every minor league level he’s played at so far, which is all you can ask for.

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